As you guys can tell, I'm a little bitter about my verbal section score. I've been doing research on the claim that the MCAT VR section correlates strongly with USMLE scores. I just can't seem to find any articles that actually come to this conclusion. Does anyone have the actual article that explicitly makes the claim that there is a positive MCAT VR and USMLE score correlation?
-
CycleTrack and SDN are teaming up to make medical school admissions more transparent and accessible! Read the announcement to learn how we’re supporting the future of CycleTrack’s free application-tracking tools .
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
Where's the article on MCAT verbal and USMLE step 2 correlation?
Started by takanori gomi
Get help with your application
Use all the free resources available to you from SDN: articles, guides, expert advising, forums discussions, and school research.
(1) Academic Medicine. 80(10):910-917, October 2005.
(2) Page 12
Have you run a check of academic databases at your school library?
EDIT:
A few more:
Link between verbal reasoning tests and USMLE performance
Summary data
More summary data
There are more cited articles; just pop in "Verbal Reasoning USMLE" into Google.
(2) Page 12
Have you run a check of academic databases at your school library?
EDIT:
A few more:
Link between verbal reasoning tests and USMLE performance
Summary data
More summary data
There are more cited articles; just pop in "Verbal Reasoning USMLE" into Google.
"The MCAT has been shown in other studies to correlate positively with performance on the USMLE Steps 1 and 2. In fact, Ellen Julian, PhDs, study adds to this literature, but does not look at the subsection correlations to USMLE Step 2 performances, only the MCAT as a whole (4)."
"Scores from the verbal subsection of the MCAT add to the collage of information available about graduating medical students; however, further studies are needed to determine if it deserves special status."
Now all I need to know is the list of med schools that believe in this and I'm all set
"Scores from the verbal subsection of the MCAT add to the collage of information available about graduating medical students; however, further studies are needed to determine if it deserves special status."
Now all I need to know is the list of med schools that believe in this and I'm all set

The first article sounds like they're trying to sell something- "The Nelson-Denny reading test was a better predictor of achievement (GPA and NBME) than the MCAT reading subset." I don't know about the first one.
The only evidence for the claim that I have come across so far is an indirect one- "Claudio Violato, PhD, and colleagues published an article reviewing performance on the MCAT exam and the Medical Council of Canada (MCC) qualifying examination parts one and two (3). Part two of the MCC qualifying examination is structured similarly to both parts of the USMLE Step 2, emphasizing clinical reasoning skills. The authors found that of the four subsections of the MCAT (verbal reasoning, physical sciences, biological sciences, and writing sample), only verbal reasoning significantly correlated with performance on the MCC qualifying examination part two; undergraduate grade point average (GPA) significantly correlated with both parts (3)."
Maybe this is why Canadian med schools have insane cutoff scores for the VR section (what is it, like 9-10?)
The only evidence for the claim that I have come across so far is an indirect one- "Claudio Violato, PhD, and colleagues published an article reviewing performance on the MCAT exam and the Medical Council of Canada (MCC) qualifying examination parts one and two (3). Part two of the MCC qualifying examination is structured similarly to both parts of the USMLE Step 2, emphasizing clinical reasoning skills. The authors found that of the four subsections of the MCAT (verbal reasoning, physical sciences, biological sciences, and writing sample), only verbal reasoning significantly correlated with performance on the MCC qualifying examination part two; undergraduate grade point average (GPA) significantly correlated with both parts (3)."
Maybe this is why Canadian med schools have insane cutoff scores for the VR section (what is it, like 9-10?)
No wonder- was it Jefferson or Tufts -one of the schools asked for your SAT scores
710 verbal... english is my third language
just overlook my awful GPA 👎
D
deleted106503
No wonder- was it Jefferson or Tufts -one of the schools asked for your SAT scores
UF asks for SAT subscores and ACT overall (if taken). I don't see how vocab words and analogies will have anything to do with Step 1 scores. It's either you know the word or don't.
VR and SAT-V seems to correlate with these scores because they reflect an above average vocabulary (the subsection of the Nelson-Denny that correlates with Step performance).